The present invention relates to information-processing equipment, for example a laptop personal computer (hereinafter called “laptop PC” as an abbreviated expression, appropriately), specifically one that houses an optical disc drive or that further provided with an attachment section for attaching in removable manner an external expansion device having a card-like shape.
As is well known, in information-processing equipment such as laptop PCs, those housing an optical disc drive have become popular. And, as a construction for housing the optical disc drive within the information-processing equipment, a construction in which the optical disc drive is fixed on an inner surface of a bottom wall of a chassis of the information-processing equipment is well known (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-105629, for example).
Further, in information-processing equipment such as laptop PCs, those having an attachment section for attaching in a removable manner an external expansion device are well known. This external expansion device adds an expanding function from the exterior to the information-processing equipment by inserting a card-type device into the information-processing equipment from the exterior, for example, thereby enabling improvements in the function of the system thereof.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-133776 discloses mobile electronic equipment provided with a box-shaped chassis and a packaged device which is packaged as a separate module. The box-shaped chassis is provided with a package housing portion formed by a recess having an aperture opening outwardly. And, the packaged device is to be housed into the package housing portion in a removable manner, thereby a part of the packaged device forms a part of an outer surface of the chassis. A CD-ROM driver or a floppy disc drive is incorporated into the packaged device according to the kind of the package. And, the packaged device is replaced with others as required in use.
In a case providing the information-processing equipment with the attachment section for attaching in removable manner a card-type external expansion device, it may be conceivable to fix a card-slot member 92 of the attachment section for attaching the external expansion device on a substrate 91 incorporated within the chassis of the information-processing equipment, as shown in FIG. 14, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a pair of fixing projections 93 is provided to the side portions of the card-slot member 92, and those fixing projections 93 are fastened and fixed onto the substrate 91 by using screw members 94, thereby the card-slot member 92 is fixed onto the substrate 91.
As the card-type external expansion device, so-called PC card which is standardized by PCMIA (Personal Computer Memory card Interface Association) is well-known. The “PC card” encompasses the memory cards each containing semi-conductor memory and being capable of writing and/or reading out various information, adaptors for small memory cards each smaller than PC card, extender cards each containing a transmitting means and a receiving means for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information, and the like.
Those external expansion devices having card-like shapes are used by inserting and attaching into the card-slot members of the information-processing equipments such as laptop PCs, and applied for individual certification, communication modems and the like. In attaching the card-type external expansion device to the information-processing equipment, if the whole of the external expansion devices having a card-like shape is inserted within the card-slot member, there is a possibility that the capacity of the external expansion device may be limited, wireless communication may be interrupted and the like. Then, recently, in some cases, the card-type external expansion device is arranged to be used in a state where a portion thereof (for example, a portion used for communication module with the exterior) protrudes from the sides of the chassis of the information-processing equipments.
In the case that the card-type external expansion device is used in a state where a portion thereof protrudes from the sides of the chassis of the information-processing equipments, when a impact force is applied from the side to the protruding card-type external expansion device, in the construction shown in FIG. 14, all of the impact force inputted to the card-slot member 92 through the card-type external expansion device is applied to the card-slot member 92 and its fixed portion 93 onto the substrate 91. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the card-slot member 92 itself is subject to deformation and/or failure. Further, there is a possibility that the fixed portion 93 is also subject to deformation and/or failure since it is fixed onto the substrate 91 which has not so high strength in general.
In general, the above-mentioned optical disc drive includes: a turntable for rotatably supporting an optical disc; an optical pickup for recording an information signal onto the optical disc and/or reproducing an information signal recorded on the optical disc, and a movement mechanism for moving the optical pickup in a radial direction of the optical disc. And, in order to keep operating accuracy of each section of the optical pickup including the accuracy of its optical axis and the moving accuracy and to fulfill its function without trouble, the optical disc drive must be kept in a firmly fixed state.
On the other hand, in recent years, in accordance with growing request for making information-processing equipments such as laptop PCs lighter and thinner, the bottom wall of the chassis is also requested to be made more thin, and, with its progress, the rigidity of the bottom wall, especially flat portions thereof, inevitably tends to decrease.
However, conventionally, the optical disc drive is, in many cases, fixed in flat area on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the chassis of the information-processing equipment. Under the circumstances in which the bottom wall is made thinner, the rigidity of the flat area itself on which the optical disc drive is to be fixed is insufficient.
That is, when an external force is applied to the bottom of the chassis, the flat area on which the optical disc drive is to be fixed is rather easily deformed since its rigidity tends to be insufficient. It may cause a disadvantage in keeping a required operating accuracy of the optical pickup including the accuracy of its optical axis and the moving accuracy.